First ride for 3 weeks

Manage 14.46 miles Sunday just gone. My first ride for 3 weeks due to the weather so I took my time and enjoyed it more for that. The trails were ok but still a bit icy in places. I managed to ride it all but had a fall at low speed in Cossall but my arse took the fall!

Some twats don't know how to ride on bridleways but that's another story.

In other news, I started doing some work on the new songs Russell and I have written. All I'll say at this stage is that it will take a while!




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Nothing much happening

Work is pants
Music is pants
Nothing exciting at all


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Feeling unsure about the bands future

Where do we go next as a band?

I've arranged 3 ring circus a gig in December but it always ends up being a pain for me to sort. Practice is now a problem as one of us can't do the regular night so we will have to try and do an alternative. It gets to be a pain to do these things, but I don't want it to be. I don't want the fun to go as when it does, I might as well stop playing.

I think the real problems are that a. I know we probably won't get anywhere now after all these years of trying and b. I'm getting tired of having to arrange everything and being de facto band manager. I want someone to be doing it for us so we can concentrate on the music only. The difficulty is finding someone to do that who will do it better than me.

The "dream" of being a full time musician seems to be further away than ever to be honest. It really hurts me to say that but it seems to be the case now. It seems so unfair that I can be a very good guitarist and Russell be a great vocalist, but we go largely ignored. I mean there are other acts locally who get a lot of press but they are utter shit. And the local promoters who used to help us out seem to be ignoring us now. The James Walsh support is a case in point, why didn't Ian from ime ask us? He didn't even fucking ask us when he was adding a fourth act!

I think I am a pretty good guitarist. No, I know I am certainly a very good guitarist and song writer. If that sounds big headed, I don't care. I see such shit players on the local scene around here who think they are shit hot but they are dreadful. It's not just the playing, its the fact that they are terrible songwriters. But they get some recognition and I keep being ignored......

I will try and get some session work next year and no doubt Russell and I will release some new material. It won't be as 3 ring circus though, that boat has long since sunk. I hate to say it but 3 rc are over, we were over a long time ago. I'm sure the new project Russell and i do will be largely ignored once more, but at least it will be some thing fresh. It's such a shame as we've written some fab songs but I'm sure not many people outside our friends will get to hear them.

Yes I feel pretty low about it all at the moment. And a little bitter. Fuck the wankers who ignore us and big up their shit mates. I need to just look at myself and do the best I can. It's just heartbreaking when you know that playing and writing ability have nothing to do with success.


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Enjoying the new guitar

Really enjoying playing the new PR DGT. Plus great even with the stock 11 gauge strings which are a bit heavier than I'm used to. Lovely coil split sounds too.

Not so good is the damage to the finish when I installed schaller strap lock buttons! The finish came away a little when I took the PRS buttons off. They don't put a felt disc under their buttons like a lot of other makers. It's not done a lot of damage but it's annoyed me none the less.

Anyway, it's a fab guitar and I realised as soon as I started playing it, why I love PRS guitars so much. Looking at one of the single coil models next!







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And a picture!

Round the back!


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Not a bad ride

18 miles last sunday. Took my time rather enjoy it.


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New PRS in da house!!

No rides since last week, weather, work then bad throat put paid to that. Hopefully out this weekend.

More excitingly, I have surcumbed to a new PRS! The DGT model in Gold that I have wanted for years. Got it for an amazing price (thanks Mark @ guitars4you) so very happy.

Full review and pics to follow.

What a horrible ride!

Went out yesterday morning, managed 15 miles before work.

I'd been watching the BBC weather all week and it said sunny intervals up until today. It was overcast when I went out, and then it pissed it down! Where the fuck did that come from?

Had plenty of layers on and my thermal 3/4s but my Altura waterproof shorts are pants. I did feel a bit damp when I took them off but the waist adjustment is shit. The Velcro tabs on the side just don't hold them up, no matter how tight you do them up. Also, the back isn't that high so I had a cold back too. Less than ideal. I'll have to keep using them as I can't afford any others but at least my Endura water proof shorts have a drawstring waist so I can do them up tight.

Think the Alfine wheel will be sold to go towards the J45 so I can but the new PRS ASAP!!




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I need a PRS fix.

Feeling really pissed off that I sold my last PRS. It went last November when I bought the new bike. At the time, I was feeling really dissallusioned with the band and playing electric guitar, so it didn't bother me that I was selling it.

But it seems to have hit me now! I have only one cheap Fender electric that I only own half of. I have not had this for a while, i.e. no quality electric guitar. I mean, a couple of years ago I had 3 PRS guitars.

So I need to get back into electric playing and quickly. I want to look at doing lessons next year and also into doing some session work. I can also do some jamming with Rob and talk to a friend of mine who gets USA bands over and occasionally they need a guitar player. But at the moment I'm woefully under equipped. And it hurts!!

I have loved the PRS David Grissom (DGT) model since I first saw it and thats what I'm going to go for. My freindly PRS dealer has 3 in staock all reduced to £2000 but I just cant afford it at the moment. Not until the J45 has been paid for. But I will get one and I will get my chops back. my electric playing seems to have suffered as I've concentrated more on the acoustic side of the band.





Pics from PRS website and Willcutt Guitars

Managed a quicky!!!!

A quick ride at dinner time that is. A bike ride ;-)

15.1 miles, not too muddy, in fact quite dry. I dressed for the cold but it wasn't that bad actually.

Can't believe how many people were about though and dogs galore and their associated shit!

I love my new bars!

First ride on the bike with the Ragley carnies fitted and they are really ace. Yes, I know it was the first ride but they seem to put you hands in a nice relaxed position but without sacrificing control or climbing ability. The forward bend, where the brake lever are, is also a great position for cruising as it pulls you forward slightly into a semi tuck. These are definitely a keeper.

Also the first ride with the Hope SS wheel back on. The bike felt much better I have to say and whilst at the start I felt I was going to miss the Alfines gears, once I got going I really didn't miss them at all. I've lost 3 lbs by changing the wheels back. I also didn't feel I was riding a lot slower.

So is the Alfine an expensive mistake? Will I sell it? Not sure yet I will keep it a bit longer although I could sell it and make a dew bob before Xmas. Not sure yet.

18.78 miles, warm but a bit damp!




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Arrrrrrrrgggghhhh my eyes!!!

Picture of the freak bars. They look alot better in real life. Ride report after tomorrow.

Freak bars fitted.....

Got the Ragley Carnegies fitted to my bike but no photos yet. They feel quite nice on the wrists. I'll have pics and ride report after Saturdays ride, hopefully! Looks like it should be quite nice and warm at weekend.

Also put the Hope SS wheel back on. The Alfine wheel, on same rim with no tube or tyre, is 3 lbs heavier than the Hope wheel! Thats a hell of alot. Bike with SS wheel weighs 24.1 lbs. I could get it down a bit more with lighter pedals and going tubless. Interested in doing that but all costs money!

I've bought some freak bars.......

I'd been looking at the Titec licensed Jeff Jones bars for a while, but the weight and the forward extensions put me off. They are a tree magnet in my opinion. So I went for these:



I thought they would help the wrists and I've read they put your hands in a more natural position. Given the rain is relentless and I've got alot on this weekend, I won't be riding so should have time to install them.

Other good news is that Russell and I are starting some new demos this weekend. This is always the optimistic time. And then reality sets in that no one will review or buy the album :-/

But hey ho, I do it for the love so here goes...........

Mellow Johnny's jerseys are bloody expensive!!

Wore the long sleeved one on yesterdays ride. 19.4 miles, 12.1 mph average, enjoyed it. Not too muddy and not too many people about. Jersey looked good and is warm.

What I don't like is the £54 customs bill from Fedex I've received this morning !!!!!!

Fucking hell!!

I was going to buy some more MJ stuff before xmas but now that a £75 jersey becomes £101 with duty and VAT, I will have to stick with some livestrong stuff from Chain Reaction. I really thought I'd got away with it. I mean the MJ stuff is already expensive, but this takes the piss!

I've ordered some wacky bars to give em a try. Some Ragley Carnegies. Been looking at the Titec version of Jeff Jones bars but they are heavier than the Carnegies and I think the forward extensions on the Titecs are asking to be hooked on a tree and I don't need any help in falling off.

Sorting out some parts too so I can put the Hope SS wheel back on to see how it compares after running th Alfine for a bit. I'll let you know how I get on.

Blimey, that was warm!

Had a good ride last Saturday and it was surprisingly warm. Gald I didn't put a long sleeve on under my Fox jersey.

Managed 19.4 miles in just over hour and a half, average speed 12.1 mph. Very good thing was that I managed all that without a stop. I must be getting fitter!!

I'm still only using 3 gears on the Alfine and I got up all the climbs in 32:18 direct gear. I still think that equates to my SS gearing of 32:16 given that with the SS wheel, I wouldn't have to move so much weight. My aim is to set up the Hope SS wheel with a disc, tube and tyre so I can easilly swap the wheels. It won't take much to remove the shifter and it will also go back on easilly.

Just seen that Jeff Jones is building a steel version of his space frame. Why has he done that to me! Will add that to my list of possibilities for next year, along side the Eighteen Bikes custom frame and an Independent Fabrication.

Oh, the Mellow Johnny's jerseys are still looking cool. More will be on the way.

Mellow Johnny's jerseys make you ride faster......

Well perhaps that's an exaggeration but I enjoyed wearing my short sleeved one for the first time on yesterdays ride. I also wore my new MJ bib shorts under my baggies and then took the baggies off for a bit. Felt very strange riding roadie style in Lycra only and I must admit, if I do it again it won't be until next summer. The on show Lycra must be the reason why the turd on a commuter bike, in a yellow vest, tried to overtake me after being right up my arse! He didn't over take me by the way.

Managed 20 miles in about 1 hour 40 which isn't bad. What was bad was the number of bloody horse riders about who kept slowing me down. Managed my 12 mile stop in record time too. And the trails weren't anywhere near as muddy as I thought they'd be.

Still not sure about the weight of the Alfine.........




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Nothing interesting happened on todays ride.....

......apart from the kamakaze squirrel that tried to knock me off my bike!

17.6 miles in hour and half not bad but I need to push more. I had to get back home by a certain time so did what I could.

Come on Mellow Johnnys, make my account say order shipped!!

Oh, and I won some MJ's brand new bib shorts on ebay. Lets hope they fit ok!

A few things I'm not sure about.......

Lots of pondering been going on in the little Clements head.

Still not sure about he alfine hub. Too heavy for the gear range? Am I doing the wrong thing pulling around all the extra weight when I did fine at 32:16? Should I take it off after spending all that money? I'm going to set up my Hope ss rear wheel with a disc, tube and tyre and then maybe swap back and see how I go ss again. Lighter, more efficient etc. We'll see......

Not sure about the future of the band either as it currently is. 3 rc is pretty much dead I think so Russ and I should concentrate on the new folky route. But it's a wrench to leave all those 8 years of effort behind.......

One thing I did decide on was which Mellow Johnny's jerseys to buy. After much umming and aring I finally decided on a long sleeve and a short sleeve with yellow band (pics below) Really looking forward to getting these and hopefully I won't get caught with customs charges!

So you can see, my indecisiveness is my only constant :-/




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Average ride yesterday

Managed 19 miles yesterday. Pretty uneventful but I'm seem to be getting the hang of the alfine a little more in terms of allowing it to change gears more smoothly.

Ridden over 50 miles this week which is a lot for me. My calves are a bit sore and my left knee is a bit stiff, but I need to keep pushing myself a bit.




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At last a serious ride!

Bugger work, let's go ride!

Went out early this morning once I'd dropped the ankle biter off (I'm watching only fools at the moment!)

Managed a ride to Shipley Park and then a few loops around the park. It was a lovely ride and I felt like I could do a few miles. It's still a pain avoiding the canal near me due to the works they are doing and I hate riding on the road. I managed to find a slight diversion but still ended up riding through Stabbo :-/

So 34.11 miles is the longest ride I've done for a while. Probably the longest since the BHF Sherwood pines ride a couple of years ago.

I enjoyed the Alfine today and I can see how good it is for longer rides so you can spin a bit and rest your legs, rather than having to grind and grunt without he ss. I can see the Hope ss hub going back on in the deepest winter and 32 16 will feel like the 32 18 direct gear on the Alfine as I won't be pulling the weight of the hub. I'm not sure if I can notice the weight when riding, but I'm sure it's a factor when riding. I'm trying to stick to gears 4, 5 and 6 although I did go lower on a road section to get up a hill.

I will report on long term reliability towards the end of the year.

No I'm off to cut the hedge!







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Music really tests me at times :-/

We had a band rehearsal last night. Well more meeting than a rehearsal.

I had to make the point that I need to give 3 RC until the end of the year and then reassess things. To be honest, the country/folk side project will soon become THE project for me soon, as I really enjoy that acoustic side of things. Unfortunately, the days of us doing rock sets is out the window. We did it to death and it got us nowhere. I also can't be doing with dealing with stroppy teenagers anymore at gigs, as that's who we invariably play with when doing that type of show. 3 RC may do a couple of electric sets in the remainder of this year but that's not a sound I wish to revisit.

Russell and I have found it fairly easy to get acoustic gigs but band shows seem few and far between. Thats partly due to the fact that a lot of decent local venues have closed down. And our acoustic band sound is quite rare so I think some promoters don't know how to deal with us. We go down really well thug every time we play so I don't get why we aren't getting offered better shows. When we played at the fishpond recently in Matlock, we got a great reception and a woman who watched us said we were far too good to be playing somewhere like that. Tell us about it love!!

3 RC may try something different, I don't know. But R and I are concentrating on this "side project" and we will have to come up with a new name which is not easy. The two of still want to get somewhere with this so a re launch and a new sound and direction may get us into places where we've been ignored so far. And I just need a new beginning.

We have some awesome new songs on top of the ones we have also played live that will blow peoples socks off so I have to keep positive. And fuck the doubters they are "soul less cunts" TM R Meek!

Keep rockin people

S


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Mud, glorious mud

A very muddy 18.7 miles yesterday. Would have been further but I saw someone I know through work and ended up chatting for a while. Trowell/Cossall was particularly muddy thanks to the horses cutting it up and one particularly ignorant horse rider ignored my friendly hello completely. Arse.

I'm liking the Alfine more and more. You definitely have to back off a bit when changing down, but I'm getting used to it. It is good to have an emergency gear every now and then.

I've also realised that summer tyres are a misnomer in the UK. I could have had the mud x's on yesterday, it was that bad.




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I quite like the Alfine

Second ride on the Alfine, this time 20.6 miles at exactly 12 mph average.

I am now definitely faster on the downs and flats, although the tope gears are tougher to turn than I thought they would be, given I've been ss - ing for 2 and 1/2 years. I realised also that the delay in shifting down from 5 to 4, may be due to the fact that I wasn't pushing the shifter far enough. It still appears a little slow at times, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Still didn't notice the weight much, even when lifting over obstacles.

So faster on the flat, faster on downs but not faster up. Yes, I can get up things more easilly and on Top Cut climb I did keep in 32 - 18 ish and stomped at the top. However, there is a tendancy for me to get into an easier gear up some climbs where I would have stomped up them in ss mode. Yes, its a case of balancing getting up things more easilly against stomping up them faster. I don't want to keep going into widdling mode, but we will see what happens.

The first half the ride was faster and I got to my stop point about 5 to 6 minutes quicker and that should improve further as I get used to turning harder gears again.

The initial impressions are positive and I think I can ride farther with this setup and hopefully I can get a 30 miler in soon. I got upto 28 mph on the flat today whereas ss I was spinning out at 17 mph tops.

Its made me realise how good gears can be but I'm never going back to traditional derailiuers. Next frame will have a 11 speed Alfine or, money allowing, a Rohloff!!

Some pics:

Shimano Alfine 8 speed hub - initial thoughts

I made the lovely trip up to 18 bikes last Saturday to have the Alfine 8 Speed hub fitted to my Simple. My initial impressions after a 15 mile ride yesterday:

- Getting the wheel out was a worry given its not quick release and its held in by 15mm bolts. However, it came out alot easier than I thought. Its a case of putting it in the easiest gear so the cable is at its slackest. You then undo the bolts, release the outer of the cable from the carrier and then by turning the cable carrier, you release the cable from it. Its alot easier to do in the flesh than it sounds when explaining it. I've put a sludge self sealing inner tube in the wheel which will hopefully mean I won't have to take the wheel out much for punctures.

- Changing gear is pretty smooth. On flats, going downhill or when stationary, the chages are inaudible and very smooth. Under a bit of pressure, it can be heard and takes a revolution of the cranks to go in. Initial impressions are good and indexing is very easy to do to compensate for any cable stretch. I have noticed a slight delay going from gear 5 to 4, but that will hopefully get better once I've run it in.

- Its heavy! Coming from single speeding, its was bound to feel heavy when lifted but I honestly didn't notice the extra weight when riding. I didn't release notice it when lifting the rear over obstacles like kerbs, but we'll see in the long run.

- The shifter is big and a bit cumbersome and it doesn't fit well with my Hope X2 brake lever. Thats more the brake levers fault than the shifter, but I think it will take some fine tuning of the position of the lever and shifter to get it right.

So after one ride only things look positive. Its very strange riding with gears again after 2.5 years of ss. I need to avoid going up hills in too easy a gear now, when I can easilly get up stuff in a sligthly harder gear as I did ss. That was mainly on the road yesterday but it will be nice to have easier gears so I can spin a bit up hill when I need to. It will also be easy to go back to the ss setup if needs be as all I'd need to do is take out the Alfine wheel and take the shifter off.

A full report after a month or so will follow.

Not too muddy today

Managed a 18.6 miler today. Felt quite good and started to wonder if I need the Alfine Hub which should be here shortly. I think it will be better on the flats giving me more speed and will also give me the option of easy gears to widdle up some hills. Lets hope it will be here for the weekend.

Bike was spotless when I went out as I'd cleaned for first time in a while, as I thought the Alfine would be done last weekend and I wanted 18 Bikes to work on a clean bike. Not too much mud today but I managed to find it in Strelley. And had a confrontation with a horse which obviously resulted in me giving way.

I annoy myself with everything I do either music or biking, that I beat myself up about what frame or guitar I want next, before I can afford it! No more credit cards, I need to save up. And there is nothing wrong with my Cotic, an 853 frame should last for years. I can always get it resprayed in a year or so.

However, seeing PJ on Hard Rcok calling: I think I will buy a new Les Paul next year!!

A gig in sunny Loughborough

3 rc played in Loughborough last night, just me and Russ as a acoustic duo.

Ace room, lovely queit audience who actually listened and fab sound. Howard, who runs the nights, has gone for micing up the guitars. This is quite unusual but the sound was fantastic.

We played 7 songs including the 2 uke ones which went down well. We got rid of a few cds, some people wouldn't take em for free. I think we went down well but it was an older audiance and sometimes they are difficult to read. Russ worried we are too commercial but I make the point that people only remember songs with strong melodies and strong choruses, which we have in abundance.

Lets hope we can get on there again.......

A lovely show in Matlock Bath last night

We played at the mighty Fishpond in Matlock Bath last night as an acoustic band. We were to play on what appeared to be a very small stage, but we managed to get all our stuff on. We used one of robs pa systems which ended up sounding pretty good.

All in all a good turn out for a Thursday night and a great response to boot. We also managed to get rid of 25 CDs which lightened the load a bit going home. We should be playing there again in October, so stay tuned to our myspace page for further details.

On another note, I was hoping to have the alfine hub installed today but unfortunately all the bits aren't in yet. Hopefully it will be here next week, I'll let you know what my initial impressions are asap. I'd cleaned my bike as well in preparation of it going on!


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Ignorant fuckers!!

Hello

Its a busy time for 3rc at the moment.

Russell and I did another show at the Showcase Delux Cinema in Derby last weekend. We went down pretty well with one guy buying Russell a pint whilst we were playing! Reactions like that make playing worthwhile and help us forget the few twats we have to put up, with but more on that in a moment.

We play as an acosutic band this Thursday (5th) at the Fishpond in Matlock. We're on at around 9pm, playing two sets up until 11ish. Should be a great night.

Russell and I then play at The Doghouse in Loughborugh on the 10th. A new venue for us and one we're looking forward to playing.

As for why I've title this blog Ignorant Fuckers? Well:

1. We generally get two reactions at our gigs, either compliments on how good we are or silence from people who we appear to be too subtle for. We got mainly the former on Saturday in Derby but there were some tossers who came and sat right next to the stage and decided to talk and take the piss. Calling them chavs is an insult to chavs but you get the idea. So why do idiots like that come and sit right next to the stage and then give us grief when we've finished? I just don't get it. If you want to chat and eat like pigs, why come and sit right near the stage? I managed to have a come back to their abuse but they were probably too pissed to take it in and it probably went over thier heads. I mainly think fuck the soul less wankers but its still bothered me all week.

2. Promoters. what a miss nomer that is! I've said it before but they should, on the whole, be called bookers as promoting a gig is the last thing they do.

Yes, there are a few very good promoters who actually do something to push the gig and they are the ones we mainly work with. But obviously as we try and book new venues, we deal with promoters we haven't dealt with before.

So I have a suggestion. When someone takes the time to email and phone you about a show, PLEASE REPLY EVEN IF IT IS A POLITE NO THANKS!! i'D RATHER BE TOLD NO FUCK OFF, YOU'RE SHIT, THAN BE IGNORED!

I've been trying to get us on at a local festival and after much chasing, finally got the correct contact details. But you hear nothing despite chasing and chasing. I wish these people would either admit they aren't capable or that as we all know, they only want to book their mates bands who wil supposedly take 500 people to a show. Just rememeber, that without "local" bands, they would have no gigs to promote. I accept alot of bands do nothing to promote a gig, but we do and we deserve to be treated with respect.

If I did my day job as badly as these people and didn't return calls, I would be out. It will always be this way I suppose but its really starting to get frustrating as we are too good a band to be ignored and overlooked in favour of mates bands.

God, I can sound like a right cock when I read these blogs back, but it will make no difference and it makes me feel better for 5 seconds!

Lets all be positive and enjoy the shows. Hopefully see some of you there.

Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=6447517&blogId=537837532#ixzz0vcly8pKr

Great show in Derby last night

3 ring circus were asked to do a last minute show at the Showcase deluxe cinema in derby last, and we were only too happy to oblige. Particularly as we got paid again! Two paid gigs in a month at the same venue, can't be bad!

We went down very well again and a guy even bought Russell a pint as he thought we were that good. It's always nice to get appreciation like that and it makes us ignores ignorant twits who sit right near the stage taking the piss :-/ those types are not worth worrying about.

We played the cinema a couple of weeks ago, so it was nice to get asked again so soon. I taped my stomp box down this time so it didn't move when I was playing it and I think I nailed it this time. You could see people thinking "what is that" when I fired it up on Never Give Up towards he end of the first set. The Rescue sounded particularly good and I got the tempo just right.

The next show is a full acoustic band affair which is good as it allows us to mix things up a bit.

We just need to keep the faith........


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Alfine hub on it's way!

So, after much umming and arring (!) vie finally ordered the shimano alfine hub. The 11 speed version is going to quite expensive so I've gone for the current 8 speed version. That will be plenty enough gears for me around where I ride and I don't think a modest weight saving and 3 extra gears is worth not far off £250 more.

I didn't think I could order it yet but I had a result with some old gold I found in my drawer which ended up being worth a lot more than I thought. With a few other sales, I've got the cash together a lot quicker than I thought I would. So longer and faster rides will be the order of the day hopefully.

New frame next year? Hope so!



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Squeezing one in......

.....a quick ride that is!

Nice to get out this morning and blow the cob webs off. I usually don't suit going out early in the morning as sleep is a premium at the moment due to P not sleeping great. However, I felt ace this morning and could have gone far. Unfortunately, I only had around an hour to ride as I had to go to work. 12.5 miles in that time at a pretty good average speed. Lots of Rabbits, mud up Strelley approach and more dog shit ;-/

I belted up Strelley approach hill (i.e. fall off hill) but it seemed narrower than last week for some reason.

I think I'm going for the Alfine but the current 8 speed version. The weight over the new 11 speed won't be that much and I can cope without the 3 extra gears. 8 Speed is around £340 all in, 11 speed will be £600! Can't justify that for 3 extra gears. Looking forward to getting it, more to follow.....

S

Heading north - the M1 not me!

Hello my friends

Had a reasonable ride yesterday again at just over 20 miles. However, this was the first time in ages I've actually felt like I could have gone further at the end of the ride. Unfortunately, I had to get back to do some chores :-/

I managed both the hill upto Cossall from the canal (top cut) and the hill unto strelley village where I fell off last year. That was going down it so not as much danger going up other than it seems to get narrower and more rutted. Stopped at the M1 bridge at the top to admire the new lanes. I'm sure this will just create more traffic and more space for ever increasing numbers of accidents. At least the 50 mile an hour limit has gone. I digress.....

I'm keen to start stepping it up to regular 25 mile rides but I'm running out of routes and will therefore have to start to combine loops.

I really enjoy the single speeding but the hunt for cash to buy the new shimano Alfine 11 speed has begun. £600 all in including new rim! If only I could get plenty for my scrap gold!

S



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Hot, Hot, Hot!!

Lovely ride today. Managed 20 miles even though it was pretty hot at around 25c.

After the "dog shit" ride the other day, this was the "horse shit" ride. I'm pretty certain that horse shit is as dangerous as dog shit, so why don't horse riders have to pick up their shit? Annoying to say the least.

Power not bad today but legs started to ache towards the end. I'm certainly not back to 100% after a few weeks off, maybe 85% I need to ride more but you know, work, babies, band stuff.....

I'm still hanging my nose over the new Shimano Alfine 11 speed but at about £600 all in, it aint cheap. Once guitars are paid for, I might go for it. Would be easy to swap between SS hub and Alfine.

Time for a sleep at my desk


S

iPad review coming soon

Hello

I promised a review of my iPad experience last week. Unfortunately, real life has prevented me from doing it so far. Let's put it this way for the time being, it's far exceeded my expectations. Sometimes getting a new gadget can be an anti climax, but that has certainly not been the case here.

So, I shall return ;-)

S


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A great gig in Derby last Saturday!

Well, I was nervous about last Saturdays show at the showcase cinema in derby. I needn't have been though as it ended up being pretty cool.

I really wasn't sure what the PA would be like so I was relieved to see a proper system wheeled out together with a sound man.

We ended up playing for about an hour and a half, which is probably the longest set we've ever done, and it included loads of new songs including 2 ukulele numbers and the debut of my new stomp box. That sounded really ace and gave one of the ukulele songs a real "swamp rock" feel.

We got a great reaction after the gig and have had some messages from people since to say how good we were. It's always nice to get that and reaffirms that we should carry on whilst people are enjoying it. Even te covers we did (under duress) sounded pretty good and I hit my high notes in REMs Man on the Moon! Not sure about the Travis song though.......

So, onwards and upwards. We're doing a similar dual set thing next month at the Fishpond in Matlock so that should be fun, particularly as we are all playing.

www.myspace.com/3ringcircus for more info on this.

S



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Call that a football match,

What a terrible excuse for a football match that was last night, let alone a world cup final!

I actually began supporting the Dutch as spa ins tippy tappy football gets on my nerves, but after the first half hour of bad challenges, I started to go for Spain. But then I lost the will to live and went to bed.

Nigel de long even tried to replicate fat gazzas assault on Garry Parker from the 1991 cup final. At least he got booked but that was a straight red card. Howard Webb had a fabulous game in my opinion and the only reason the Dutch are moaning about him this morning is because they played shit. They are even worse losers than England.

I'm so glad the cheat that is robben hasn't got his hands on a winners medal. He typifies everything that is wrong about the modern footballer - constant whining at the ref, diving, niggling dirty fouls and regular arguing about decisions.

So Spain are world champions. Yes, they do pass it well but most of the time it goes nowhere. I'm not suggesting hoof ball that england play is superior or favourable, but you can pass it with purpose rather than for e sake of it like the Spanish. As a forest fan, I've been privileged to see Brian cloughs teams play some of the best passing counter attacking football ever played. We passed it but not for the sake of it.

I still maintain that the Germans were by far the best team and hopefully they can be the first European side to win it in south America. England certainly won't, that's for certain. Hopefully though it will be goodbye lampard, gerrard, Terry et al and we can blood some younger players.

Can we have a break from football for a bit now? At least for a couple of weeks.......

S


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At last a ride,

A lovely day for a bike ride and finally I've managed one.

My first post holiday last week was terrible, no power in my legs and lungs ready to explode. Today I wasn't back to how I was pre hols, but I certainly felt better. Managed 18.65 miles at a reasonable (for me) 11.7 average speed.

I really need to step things up now to regular 25 mile routes but I think I'd need to get out more to build strength up. We'll see how that pans out :-/

On a positive note, the asbestos sheets dumped off the A610 have finally been removed. It seems the council or Severn Trent have finally pulled their fingers out.




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To gig or not to gig

Hello

It's now over 8 years since my band, 3 ring circus, started playing. We got rid of our old pain in the arse drummer who made the whole thing little more than an annoyance towards the end. After we finally did that, I thought things would improve.

In many regards they have. We did the best album we've done so far, played some great shows and now have lots of new songs coming.

But I'm not feeling it at the moment. I still enjoy playing and writing but if I'm honest, gigging has become a bit of a pain. Admittedly it is better now I don't have to lug amps etc about and we do probably sound better now it's not all through a wall of noise.

But gig "getting" is becoming more difficult and when you do get shows, the promoters start demanding straight away that you bring along 500 people on a Wednesday night! Plus there is the age old problem of knob heads talking all the way through your performance, when you are trying to play delicate acoustic/folk songs. We have a gig on Saturday where I know we will not be heard at times but it will be good exposure.

I just wish audiences were more like they are in the states where they actually sit and listen without feeling the need to talk loudly over you to make their conversation about who is shagging who, audible over the music. Idiots.

So what is my conclusion? At the moment I suppose I'll have to keep gigging but could we become a recording only band? That could be e way forward as I'd love to be more prolific with our recorded output.

So if you are in derby on Saturday night, come to the showcase in the west field centre and come and hear some great music. Do not come for a conversation though. ..........

S


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Test from my shiny iPad,

Testing, testing!

This is my first posting from my new iPad (ooh, get me!)

I aim to now be more active with my blog as the iPad will let me do it on the move.

I'll also have my thoughts on the iPad ready in the next few days.

I bet you can't wait :-/

S


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Lost in France!

Bonjour!

Well its not bonjour now as I'm back from my nearly 3 weeks in South of France. Unfortunately the weather was shocking as we got the tail end of the storms that had hit Nice, further down the coast from where we were. 1800 mile trip in a brand new car and with a 11 month old probably wasn't a great idea, but we survived it.

I will try and keep this thing more regulalrly updated from now on. A. because its a good outlet for my rantings and B. because I've bought this:



(Copyright Engadget)

The mighty iPad! This means I can publish utter rubish, for no one to read, whenever I want (much like my music). Particularly as I have the 3G version so I can get on the internet when away from wifi.

Going back to France, I discovered the following:

- The streets are paved with dog shit. Its like an obstacle course when steering a pushchair. The French must be too stylish to pick it up.

- The toll roads are great. No hold ups, pretty cheap and lovely service to drive on.

- However, the French are the worst drivers I've ever encounted. No signals, up your arse when there is no traffic on motorway, can't drive correctly at round abouts etc etc.

- Going to the South of France doesn't guarentee good weather :-/

- Holiday reps are wankers

- The dutch are very noisey and their children don't go to bed until after 10pm apparently, keeping my little one awake

- It is the worst country in the world for vegeterians! Bread and cheese every day and no vege options at any restaurant. Poor show Frenchies!

And as for my music.... well Russell and I have some more great songs including some ukulele ones which will be interesting. Is anyone bothered? probably about 10 people. But you have to keep going whilst you have songs coming, don't you.........

So I look forward to publishing my ramblings to anyone who will read them. 2 of you then!!

BFN

S

UKULELE AGO GO!

I'm rocking out on a new laka ukulele!

http://www.jhs.co.uk/New%20Products/lakaukes.html

Its even got a fishman pickup to use it live and it has a cutaway

Sounds lovely and I already have a few ideas sketched out. Feels very strange to play at first given the narrow neck but it will be nice to play live and add some different sounds.

The holiday park in France won't know whats hit it ;-)

S

Its been a while....

Hello world

Not updated this for a while, not sure why. Well I am, I'm a. lazy and b. I forgot I'd got this blog!

What have I been doing?

Trying to write some new songs
Not sleeping
Being miserable

Nothing new then.

Russell and I have some shows coming up to play sone new tunes. It does all feel like its going nowhere though. We've been disappointed to not get on at a local festival we played before. Last year, we played to 400 odd people there and got rid of loads of cds. We're an acoustic band who sound great but the festival is obviously putting on bands who lick arse. They will also be acts who play electric normally and who have no idea how to write acoustic songs. They will be shit in other words. Being one of the "best 4 or 5 bands in Derby" obviously doesn't help. Oh well, fuck em. I'd like to say we'll have the last laugh but I'm not sure about that anymore.

Also seeing really poor acts we've played with, getting on at venues we can't get on at, is really starting to grate with me. Nothing I can do about it and worrying about it won't change anything, but it really pisses me off. I wish I was brave enough to name names but I wonder why The Bedford supposedly has high standards in relation bookings and then gives a poor act a gig. Someone who isn't as good as me and R and who has done nothing. Arse and lick.

I must stop moaning. Its just I used to enjoy being under the radar when we were doing well, we didn't need anyones help. Now, I want some recognition as to how good we are. I am not big neaded, I just want more of a chance. Yes I know we will never sign a mega deal with a label, but I just want someone to have a bit of faith in me.

On a positive note, the wife and I went to see the fabulous Tom Mcrae and Brian Wright in Sheffield on Easter Sunday. What a show. Brian was first introduced to us on the Hotel Cafe tour and he was even better than I remember. Tom was fabulous as usual and the new songs came accross really well with the full band. He should definitly have been in the big room though.

I have a new guitar too! A lovely Gibson J45 Standard in sunburst. Its got some thump and sounds great plugged in. It will be interesting to see how it goes at these few gigs we have coming up.

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Acoustic-Instruments/Round-Shoulder/Gibson-Acoustic/J-45-Standard.aspx

What a beaut!

Can't wait to start recording these new tunes. I think we'll get em down just guitar and vox to start with and then build round them.

Election - ruined ballot paper. None of the above would win every time.

Its good to have this outlet to vent a bit. I'll try and update it more often. Because so many people read it don't they

Cheers

S

Going Nowhere

Hello

Thats what it feels like at the moment. Russell and I are writing new songs but its a slow process. I'm impatient, which I get from my mother. We have a few gigs booked for April onwards but it feels like I'm treading water. We've worked up a couple of electric songs which do sound good but I'm really not sure about that side of things anymore. It feels forced and we've tried it for 8 years and not got anywhere with it. I think the subtlety of the acoustic stuff appeals to me much more now. But I might change my mind again tomorrow!

As for work, lets not even go there......

The bike is lovely though. Light, stiff and comfortable at the same time. The lockout on the Maguras is fantastic going uphill. No more steel springs to move and no lost energy from the forks bobbing. Hopefully I'll have the top cap sorted soon :-/

Hope for another win tonight for the mighty reds and scunthorpe beating West Brom. Can't see the latter happening really but we live in hope.

Got some great CDs on the way, new albums from Josh Rouse, Tom Mcrae and Turin Brakes. I'm not sure about the ne Lostprophets album. It might just be because my head isn't in that "rock" space anymore but it doesn't feel very immediate. I'll have to give it a chance though.

Might see you at a show soon, might not

S

Snow bugger off

Its really starting to annoy me now. I'm desperate to get my bike "finished" which means a trip to Hope in the Peaks to have new chainring and fork damper fitted.

I really thought we were starting to thaw and I could go on my day off on Friday. But its bloody snowing and settling again. FUCK OFF!! And whilst the bike is perfectly rideable as it stands, I've promised the wife I wouldn't go out in the bad weather, now we have P. I used to love riding in the snow when I lived with the folks but I had no responsibility then! I'm really missing riding as its the only time I clear my head and think/worry about nothing.

On a brighter note, I've got 14 new ideas recorded for Russell including a folky one I hope he likes. What will happen, who knows? Acoustic seems the only way now for us to get some recognition.

Good for Brian Laws by the way for getting the Burnley job. He was a legend when I used to watch him at Forest and I'm sure he will keep Burnley up.

By the way, I writing this because I really have no motivation to work!

Sx

Its bloody cold!

Hello one man and his dog (well the dog)

Its been a lovely first Christmas as a Dad. Lots of presents and toys to bash about. Poseys enjoyed them too ;-)

I've supplied Russell with some new tunes both acoustic and electric and I'm hoping the magic will happen. This next record or EPs will be mega, I'm confident of that. Will they top Clean Getaway, will anyone care? Who knows. But whats the point in stopping, even though I regulalrly feel like its a futile exercise now.

So 3rc will have a couple of new rockers to play this year. Its quite nice to have a break from gigging though as it starts to grind when none is intersted anymore. We are even struggling to get friends to shows now. God knows why as we're as good as ever, if not better now we don't have to deal with Tizard.

Wasn't it fantastic that RATM got to number one. These people who say that Cowell has an interst in Sony, RATM label so it was a hollow victory have missed the point completely. It was all about getting something different to number one to keep that high trousered twats kareoke rubbish off there for at least a week. And RATM showed up all the idiots on the BBC and the mail by giving the profits to the charity Shelter. I really hate it when stuffy middle aged news presenters try to talk about music and bands they now notyhing about. Like when Channel 4 news called Pearl Jam a metal band after the roskilde disaster and michael evis said they would have bands like that on at Glastonbury. What good bands not has beens !?? book tom jone again and keep the real music for real music lovers, not the bankers on a weekend jolly trying to look cool. Rant moi!

Anyway. I love my new bike, so thats keeping my mind off the lack of musical success, when I actually get to ride it!

Keep calm everyone and search for Tom Mcraes new songs on You Tube. An example of a proper songwriter who could write a millon beautiful sings in his sleep, all better than any of the x factor dross.

Till the next time I need to vent

S